Fate: Remnant
by Storm King of Chaos
Summary: Archer had accepted his fate as a Counter Guardian after the war was over. When he returned to that field of swords, he expected to answer the call of Alaya. What he did not expect was for the Holy Grail in the form of a certain homunculus to send him into a brand new world. And to make matters worse, he was stuck in the form he absolutely hated the most, his young self. (Post UBW)
1. Wish upon a Holy Grail

It was done. Gilgamesh was dead, and with the Grail gone, Saber would soon fade from existence. All Archer was willing to do at the moment was watch the sunrise one last time before he would get whisked back into the hell of being a Counter Guardian.

"ARCHER!" And there she was. His former master. He could hear her heavy breathing as she ran up to him. "Archer…"

"It's a shame, but it is what it is. Give up on the Grail, Rin." He joked with her, but she didn't laugh. Still, he let out a small chuckle. That got her attention.

"What's with that!" She yelled at him. "This is hardly the time to be laughing!"

He turned towards her. "My apologies. I couldn't help it, given your sorry state. I was amused that you and I cut such sorry figures." He fell into the familiar playful tone he had back when he was still her Servant.

"Archer," Rin's voice was serious and almost pleading. "Pact with me again."

Archer scoffed at that. "I can't do that." He turned away from her. "I doubt I have that right. Besides," He looked towards the rising sun. "I don't have a goal anymore. My battle ends here."

"But… But this means you'll…" With only the sound of her voice, he could tell Rin began to tear up. "No matter how much time passes, you'll never be saved." That caught his attention. He turned around and saw her bent over trying not to cry.

"Oh brother." He began to scratch the back of his head. "Rin." She looked up to him, with tears at edge of her eyes. "Look after me. As you know, I'm a bit hopeless." He joked. "Give me a shoulder to lean on."

"Archer…" Rin wiped the tears from her eyes. "Okay, I understand. I'll do my best." She mustered up a smile for her former Servant. "I'll try my hardest to make sure he doesn't turn into a twisted jerk like you." That made Archer smile. "I'm pretty sure that he'll try to learn to like himself. So you do the same!"

Archer closed his eyes. "I have my answer." He opened them and responded to her. "Don't you worry Tohsaka, I'll try my best from now on too." And with that, Archer faded from existence.

* * *

When he awoke to Unlimited Blade Works, he was greeted with a surprising yet familiar presence. In the middle of his hill of swords, in the barren wasteland with gears in the sky, was his older sister. "Illya?" There she was, clad in the Dress of Heaven, her ruby eyes staring at him.

"I'm sorry, but I am not her." On second glance, her body was too… old to be Illya's, who was trapped in a permanently young body. She was more developed and mature compared to his sister.

"You're a homunculus though?" He asked rhetorically. Only an Einzbern homunculus would have such a crafted look of beauty upon their face. Still, her's seemed more.. Natural.

"I am Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the administrator of the Grail." He widened his eyes at that.

"The administrator of the Holy Grail? But I thought it was destroyed, or at the very least corrupted!" Archer distinctly remembered seeing a golden flash of light erupt out of the forest towards the mass of curses that was the Holy Grail.

"It was." She answered him. He only stared at her and waited until she further explained herself. "The Grail was indeed corrupted with the essence of Angra Mainyu, and that was what burst forth from the Matou heir when he had the core transplanted into him. And it was that part that was blown away by this war's Saber when she unleashed her Noble Phantasm." Archer nodded along as it matched up with the events he had witnessed. "However, I had isolated myself from the rest of the Grail when he first tainted it, although I could not say the same for my successors." She frowned at that, causing Archer to do the same. It was then that Archer recalled one of his previous iterations where Illya had mentioned a dark shadow of her mother following her, causing him to scowl as he realized Angra Mainyu had been harassing his sister. "And so, with this war's Saber nearly killing him, it left him weak enough for me to purge him from the Grail."

"I see… but that still doesn't tell me why you're here." He looked her, waiting for an answer.

"Well, Angra Mainyu decided to try one last shot at unleashing himself upon the world using Gilgamesh's power." She began.

"And that's why the hole from the Grail sucked him up after his fight with… Shirou." Archer grimaced as he said his former name, trying to follow through on his promise to Rin to like himself better.

"Indeed, but it was too late. By the time Gilgamesh had been sucked inside, I had purged the last bits of him from the Grail. They appeared to go to an injured woman outside of the church, but the rest of that is irrelevant to why I am here." However, Archer wasn't done with that part.

"You mean Avenger's still alive?" The panic on his face could easily be heard through his voice.

"He is inconsequential. Even in his current state, the Shirou Emiya of this world could beat him." Justeaze decided to keep quiet about Avenger's new master however.

"Fine… if you say so… But that still doesn't tell me why you're here." Archer was starting to get a little irritated, not that he'd let it show.

"I was getting to that part." She gave him a glare that reminded him of when Illya. "Even though I had purged Angra Mainyu, Gilgamesh was still absorbed into the Grail. And since he is such a strong spirit, combined with the remnants of the other Servants still left in the Grail, I had enough power to grant one wish. And so I came to the winner of the 5th Holy Grail War."

He waited for her to continue until he realized she had finished. "You mean… me?" He asked, surprised evident in his voice as it was on his face.

"Indeed. All the other Master and Servant pairs had either been eliminated or incapacitated, leaving you as the victor." She stated.

"But… Rin and Saber-"

"Saber had faded from existence long before you did." She interrupted. "Your Independent Action Skill won you the War. And since you have no Master, the wish is yours alone. So, as the Administrator of the Holy Grail, I ask you, Counter Guardian EMIYA, what is your wish?"

Archer paused a moment to soak it all in before chuckling to himself. "I don't know if you heard that last conversation between me and Rin, but I have no wish, no goal, nothing grand like that." His tone turned serious. "Guys like me, we've got nothing to wish for anyway."

Justeaze narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "So you say." Her expression then turned neutral. "Very well, I'll let your heart decide then."

"Wait what?" Archer snapped his head up towards her.

Justeaze began to glow… no, the entirety of Unlimited Blade Works began to glow. "It is as I said, I will grant the wish that lies within your heart."

"What do you mean? What wish?" Archer asked, but it was too late. A bright light enveloped Unlimited Blade Works before Archer felt like he was falling into darkness.

* * *

Archer awoke to the sounds of nature around him. He shot up, instantly aware of his surroundings. He was in a forest, and appeared to have been resting beneath a tree. "What did that cursed cup do? Or rather, where did she send me?" He pondered to himself. The trees were a deep shade of red, and were of an unfamiliar species. All the birds calls sounded… off, compared to the ones he was used to. _There's no immediate danger… that I can sense. In any case, I should check to make sure she didn't mess with my body._ Archer thought to himself.

" _Trace On!"_ Archer envisioned firing the hammer of a gun and called forth Kanshou and Bakuya while going over the eight steps in his mind. _Judging the concept of creation… Hypothesizing the basic structure… Duplicating the composition material… Imitating the skill of its making… Sympathizing with the experience of its growth… Reproducing the accumulated years… Excelling every manufacturing process… Projection Complete._ Stangely enough, when he called them forth, he felt no resistance from Gaia. That was odd. He looked at the married blades in his pale hands to see if he was imagining things. _Wait… Pale?_ Archer dismissed his blades and looked down to seem himself still wearing his armor and the holy shroud he had taken from the Church all that time ago, although they felt a little loose. However, his hands, and when he rolled up his sleeves to follow up, and arms were the same pale they were before he had taken the contract with Alaya. _No… Please don't tell me…_ Archer ran a hand through his hair to catch a stray to observe. Lo and behold, in his hand sat a red hair. Archer felt a massive surge of annoyance run through him as he swore to take revenge on Justeaze. "If you're gonna turn me younger, at least make sure my clothes fit!" He yelled to no one in particular. "Oh great, my voice is the same as _his_." Archer groaned in a far more lighter voice then he was used to. And that was when he heard a growl in response.

Archer whipped around to the source of the sound and came face to face with a pitch black bipedal wolf with a white carapace covering its skull with red accents and white bone like spikes protruding from its body. He then noticed that a whole pack had followed.

"Well then, I guess you're the welcoming committee?" He traced Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands. The black wolves howled in response "I have to say, the last dog I fought could bark better than you." Archer liked to imagine that wherever Lancer was, he'd heard his little quip and was cursing at the bowman. He snapped back to attention as the first wolf launched himself at him.

Archer took a step to the side to avoid the tackle while driving Bakuya into the wolf's throat… at least that was supposed to happen. Instead, the wolf scratched his side while Bakuya left a gash on the right side of its throat instead of puncturing the center. "Don't tell me, my reach is off." Archer swore under his breath. At least his first attacker had bounced off his armor and retreated as black blood began to gush out of its throat wound. The rest of the pack began to circle around him warily. "Well, let's see if Kanshou and Bakuya are still truly the same!" With that, Archer threw the married blades forward and watched as they tore through two wolves before coming back through the chest of a third that was in between the two. "Good to see that they are." He then noticed that the corpses dissolved into a black mud that uncannily reminded him of the corrupted grail. "It seems that I'll actually get some use out of Kanshou and Bakuya's anti-monster capabilities this time around." Archer said to no one in particular. He wasn't particularly concerned with the wolves as it seemed they only had the basics of hunting in packs for their tactics, but the disconnect between his mind and his body could prove to be fatal if he wasn't careful. Still, with the superb craftsmanship of Kanshou and Bakuya, he was certain he could defeat the whole pack. "Looks like I'll have to learn, or rather relearn, the limits of this body the hard way." With that, Archer charged into the pack of black wolves.

* * *

 **A/N: And welcome to the Beginnning of Fate/Remnant, a Crossover between Fate/Stay Night and RWBY. Warning, this series expects that you have watched/read Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works in some kind of fashion, and a basic understanding of RWBY. Now, here I hope to answer some questions people will have on their mind when they first read this (hopefully). Why didn't I send Shirou instead of his cynical future Servant Self? Well, because I like Archer a lot more. Plus he's my favorite Servant period. As for Justeaze and the Grail and why it didn't go to say Rin who was technically the last Master and winner? Well, you need an actual Servant to retrieve the Grail for its wish function if what I read was correct, and since Saber had disappeared, the Grail went to the last Servant who could take it, in this case Archer. As for why it manifested in Unlimited Blade Works instead of in front of Archer in the real world? It was easier that way, with no Rin to get in the way. Everything else should be answered or will be answered soon (I hope). Chapter 2 and 3 should be coming out the Thursday and Friday after this is posted, with weekly updates (That's tomorrow and the day after for those reading this the day of). I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter of Fate/Remnant. Here's to a series I can hopefully finish!**


	2. Enter the Vale

"Kid! Did you finish polishing those blades?" A deep voice, not unlike his originally was, yelled at him, snapping Archer out of his trance. He had been scowling at his reflection in one of the blades when the old man called out to him. Archer took one last look at himself, finding a pair of golden eyes staring back from the blade's reflection. Just as he had suspected, Archer looked exactly like Shirou Emiya, his younger self. At least he wasn't wearing the same clothes as the one back in Fuyuki. He had been lent a set of clothes consisting of a black jacket, a red t-shirt, black pants, and a pair of black sneakers with white stripes.

"Yeah, I'm bringing them up right now." He carefully set the blade on the stack in a box with the rest of them and then carried them out of the forge and up towards the shop. As he ascended the steps, the exit was blocked by the owner of the forge, Weyland Steele.

"Let me see your work." The man snatched a blade from the pile and brought it into the light to observe it. While the old smith was observing the metal, Archer took his time to analyse the man in front of him. He certainly fit the image of a blacksmith, with his black leather covering a dirty white shirt with its sleeves rolled up. His swept-back silver hair and piercing steel eyes gave him an imposing air of authority. The burned areas on his arm and around his gloved hands reminded Archer of the tanned skin he got when he first started overexerting his magecraft. In fact, ignoring the fact that he had robotic leg prosthetics, the man looked like an older version of Archer. Archer wasn't sure if it was that or the fact that he was in a whole new world unnerved him more. Even more unnerving was that the old man had taken him, a complete stranger, under his wing.

* * *

 _Archer finished off the last of the black wolves. with a quick downward x-slash from his married blades. He had killed the pack easily, but on the other hand, he sustained more injuries than he should have. He was taking a breather when he heard the sound of slow clapping._

 _"To be honest kid, when I first saw you being attacked by a pack of Beowolves, I wrote you off as a goner, but I guess I was wrong. You a Huntsman in training?" The voice belonged to Weyland, who was watching from nearby._

 _"Were you just watching me?" Archer eyed to old man warily, Kanshou and Bakuya never leaving his hands._

 _"Whoa kid, I'm not your enemy." The smith put his hands up. "And judging from the way you tore up those Beowolves, I wouldn't want to be." Weyland then eyed his blades. "Those are a fine piece of work. You make 'em yourself?"_

 _Archer lowered his blades as he decided the old man was telling the truth. "I suppose you could say so. These blades have been with me for as long as I can remember. So in a sense, they are my blades." And that was true. If there was any weapon that could be called Archer's signature, it would be the white and black married blades._

 _"You know, you can tell a lot of a person from their weapon, if you know how to look." Weyland told him, causing Archer to scoff with a smirk on his face. "Although, judging from that wry grin on your face, you already know that don't you." Weyland then grimaced as he looked at Kanshou and Bakuya. "You… you look like you could use some help Shirou Emiya."_

 _Archer's eyes widened as he readied his blades and adopted his fighting stance. "You know my True Name?"_

 _"Yes, my Semblance tells me the history of a weapon and it's wielder. And boy, did you live a sad, sad life." The man looked at Archer with pity. "Look, if you don't trust me, then go ahead and leave. Good luck being stuck in an unfamiliar world with no one to turn to and no understanding of it. You have fun with that, I'll go to my cozy home with food, shelter, and information. Now on the other hand, you could come with me and I could get you situated to life in Vale and teach you about the world of Remnant. Plus, I could always use a hand or two around the forge."_

 _Archer noticed Weyland dropped an important detail for a moment before dismissing his blades. "... Did you say the World of Remnant?"_

 _Weyland gave him a smirk. "Trust me when I say, you are not on Earth anymore."_

* * *

And so, one week ago, the Counter Guardian EMIYA, came to Vale as Weyland Steele's nephew, "Archer Steele," looking like his younger self Shirou Emiya. In fact, Weyland had even been kind enough to get Archer some fake ID and papers, through the courtesy of some shady broker who handled those kinda things. Archer wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Weyland grumble something about a "junior" of some kind.

Weyland had also gotten him up to speed on the World of Remnant, telling him of the four kingdoms and their struggle against the Grimm, the black beasts he had fought back then. He also told him about the struggles of the Faunus and the Great Faunus War. From their mistreatment to their victories and freedom under General Ghira Belladonna, to the rise and fall of the White Fang, the formerly noble Faunus Rights group founded by Ghira, which had become nothing more than a group of terrorists spearheaded by Sienna Kahn. Archer couldn't help but feel pity at their story, but that did not excuse the actions of the White Fang.

But what really interested him were Aura and Semblances. They were somewhat similar to Magecraft and Sorcery Traits from his world, but at the same time quite different, both being essences of the soul, yet with different methods of use and restrictions. And the most shocking thing Archer learn through self experimentation, was that his body had been adapted to one of this world. Archer had his circuits adapted into a pool of aura and his magecraft turned into his Semblance, as he found out through testing. The catch? Archer's conversion happened from his Servant body, meaning everything he had as a Servant was still there, from all the Noble Phantasms in Unlimited Blade Works to his Reinforcement and Structural Grasping spells. From Kanshou and Bakuya, to Gae Bolg and Rho Aias, Archer had worked throughout the week checking on all his weapons from UBW. The most surprising thing however, was that he couldn't feel the presence of Gaia at all on his projections. Whatever he traced, it felt as close to reality as it could get. They were still fakes, mind you, but there was barely a difference. The only way one could tell the difference was if they had held the real thing before. It was just like... that one time with Avalon. Wait... was that him? Or another, more fortunate one? Between that and all he had seen, Archer was thoroughly convinced that he was on an entirely different world and that he wasn't being pranked by Illya's lookalike.

As for the extent of Weyland's knowledge of Archer and his world, the smith only knew Archer's history and abilities having caught a glimpse of that through his Semblance's observation of Kanshou and Bakuya. He knew of Projection and how it worked, but wasn't able to Project anything at all. Still, he had Archer try his skills on a couple of other things. Archer's Structural Grasping and Alteration spells came in quite handy for blacksmithing. His skills were easily passed off as him having inherited Weyland's Semblance as a Steele family member, which functioned basically the same way. What he didn't know was That Archer had a Reality Marble, as Archer didn't fully trust him yet. Still, he was grateful to the smith for letting him live and work in his shop. Now if only the place wasn't called "Unlimited Iron Works."

"Not bad kid, after I finish setting these up into their weapons, we can ship 'em off to… wherever the order said." Weyland grumbled the last part as he began to search for the order. He put down the blade back into Archer's pile before heading to his unfortunately messy office to find the form.

Archer sighed before taking the box of blades to the store workshop and setting them down on the workbench near the pile of weapon parts. Once he had set them down and made sure they weren't gonna fall over and make a mess, he heard the shop door jingle.

"I've got it." He called out to Weyland, whose response consisted of an affirmative grunt. As he walked towards the counter, the smell of booze and traces of vomit hit him like a truck, causing his surprisingly sensitive nose to crinkle in disgust. "How may I help you?" Archer asked as he walked behind the counter. The customer was a middle aged man in a white polo with a gray center and black khakis. His dark gray hair was slicked back but a few bangs refused to move from his face. Flat across his back was a huge greatsword at waist level. Archer took a peek to see who he was dealing with. _Harbinger. A great sword with the ability to shift into a scythe or even an odd in between state. It also contains two independently rotating shotgun barrels. It is the signature weapon of Qrow Branwen._

"Where's Weyland?" The man asked, grabbing Archer's attention. He thought he saw a glimpse of recognition and surprise in his eyes, but Archer chalked it up to him looking like the smith.

"He's busy." Archer replied. He raised an eyebrow when he heard Qrow groan.

"Just my luck." Qrow scoffed. He then eyed the kid. "Who are you supposed to be anyways, cause last time I checked, Weyland didn't have some 16 year old punk."

"Well Qrow Branwen, I'm Archer Steele, his nephew." Qrow narrowed his eyes once he heard his name.

"How did you- Don't tell me, that stupid Structural Analysis Semblance is inherited like the Schnees and their Glyphs?"

Archer coughed, drawing Qrow's Attention. "In any case Mister Branwen, did you come here to waste our time with a chat or did you need something from my Uncle's workshop?"

"Hmph I'm here for a little birthday present for my niece." Qrow explained.

"Your niece wants a weapon for a gift?" Archer asked, surprised.

"Oh, if she had her way, she's get enough weapons to equip a small army. But no, what I need is some custom parts done for her beloved Crescent Rose."

"I see, do you have the blueprints for these parts?"

"Ah, right here." Qrow pulled out a couple of papers with scribbled designs. They were mostly custom pins, bolts, and rails, common in the more personalized shifting weapons of this world. Archer raised an eyebrow at all the strawberries and bunnies doodle around the parts. "Er, she made the designs and those doodles, I'm just the middle man." Qrow clarified.

Archer analysed the blueprints while Qrow stood there in silence as the TV reported the evening news. _"This is Lisa Lavender reporting in the emergence of a new vigilante that people have taken to calling the Crimson Bowman. Three days ago he made his first appearance stopping an attempted murder, while just last night he had stopped an attempted carjacking in downtown Vale. Lately, police have also had reports of muggings in alleyways being stopped with a single blunt arrow to the back of the head."_

"Jeez, looks like we have a wannabe Huntsman over here." Qrow sighed. "Not like this is the first time it's happened…" He then muttered to himself.

"I suppose so. Still, don't you think the Huntsmen are spread pretty thin as is?" Archer countered.

"Yeah, Oum knows we could use more manpower as is… But what we don't need is more people who think they can just charge in like some Hero of Justice and save the day. People like that get killed in this world…" Qrow finished bitterly.

"Alright, now what masterpiece do I have to create now?" Weyland came out of his office with the order form and to the counter. "Ah Qrow! Did you need someone to out drink you again you lightweight?" Weyland laughed.

"You should have died of liver cancer a while ago. There's no way you could've drank that much and not keeled over!" Qrow shot back.

"Well, didn't I tell you? I'm made of much tougher stuff than that. Now then, let's take a looksie." Weyland snatched the designs from Archer's hands. "Oh, look at how cute the little bunny is! You make it yourself Qrow?"

The Huntsman in question grit his teeth. "Like I said, Ruby made those designs, I just delivered them."

"Is that so?" Weyland quickly took out his scroll and snapped a picture with it, smiling all the while. "You sure about that? I distinctly remember the time you wore a skirt to school." Weyland seemed to have fun pushing Qrow's buttons.

"It was a prank! And it was all Taiyang and Raven's fault!" Qrow countered defensively. "And what does that have to do with this?"

"Alright, enough with games then, kid, go down and make these, shouldn't take you too long." Weyland dismissed Archer and handed him the designs.

With that Archer descended back into the forge. Once he reached his destination, Archer took one look at the designs before losing himself in his work. The heat of the flames and sound of pounding metal soothed him in a way, making him feel right at home. Archer liked to imagine that if he grew up like a regular person instead of the messed up suicidal altruist he was, he would've taken up blacksmithing as a hobby. Working the forge felt natural to him somehow. He was so immersed in his work that he didn't realize he had an audience until he finished making the last component.

"Hm. Not bad punk. Just the way she drew them. And in only two hours?" Qrow walked up to the finished pieces, comparing them to the designs.

"Hah! What'd I tell you? The kid's got a knack for forging." Weyland laughed.

"You brought him down here?" Archer asked Weyland, although it was more of a statement. Weyland rarely lets any customers go down into the sacred place he calls his forge. The farthest most get is the workshop where customers are there for the fittings and to test out the final products.

"He's one of the few people I do personal maintenance for, another of which is the Headmaster of Beacon." Weyland explained, although his face soured at the mention of the Headmaster. Ozpin, if Archer remembered correctly.

Qrow looked like he had more to say on the matter when all of a sudden, his Scroll vibrated. "Speak of the Devil…" Qrow scowled. "I've got to go. Just ship it to Taiyang. Or at the very least Zwei. I trust the dog more than that oaf." With that Qrow rushed up the stairs, but not before knocking over a stack of unfinished blades.

"REMEMBER TO TELL HER TO COME HERE FOR THE FITTING." Weyland shouted after the old man. After all, it was important to make sure the components worked right in the finished product. The Smith then commented with a bitter tone, "Duty calls huh." He turned to Archer while heading to the stairs. "He really is a bad luck charm, causing a mess like this. I've already closed up shop for today, so clean up the mess he left and get cooking."

"Alright, alright. No matter where I go, people never seem to get enough of my cooking." Archer sighed before getting to work to clean the fallen works. At least Weyland actually had some critique to offer on his food. Most people just ate it and said it was divine, but Weyland offered advice on the tastes and exotic flavors that Remnant had to offer. Once Weyland had ascended, Archer decided to do a little more testing with this world and his new body. _"Trace On…"_ Archer chanted in the empty forge. _Judging the concept of creation… Hypothesizing the basic structure… Duplicating the composition material… Imitating the skill of its making… Sympathizing with the experience of its growth… Reproducing the accumulated years… Excelling every manufacturing process… Projection Complete._ In Archer's hands lay a perfectly projected Harbinger.

* * *

 **A/N: And that was Chapter 2 of Fate/Remnant. Sorry if it feels like an exposition dump, it's just that there's a bunch of stuff that I need to cover for how Archer is gonna work in the World of Remnant. And for those of you wanting other Servants or F/SN characters to show up... Well, I'll leave it as a surprise. It's going to take some time before we get to the main part of RWBY, but I'm trying to get there as fast as possible while also including some stuff that I want in the story. But hey, at least here's Qrow! And yes Weyland Steele is based on Weyland the Smith (initially). There'll be more on him to come. That's all I can really think of at the moment, so see you Friday.**


	3. A Rose by Any Other Name

It was a week after that Archer met the birthday girl that Qrow came in for. It had begun like any other day, with Archer tidying up the workshop while waiting for another customer. Weyland had decided to take a nap in his office since there wasn't any important orders waiting and he found Archer skilled enough to handle most orders on his own. The benefits of Structural Grasping were invaluable to the budding blacksmith. The TV played on in the background, bringing the new to anyone who cared to listen.

" _\- causing more Faunus Rights Protests to pop up. For more local news, the famed vigilante strikes again in downtown Vale. The Crimson Bowman subdued-_ " Archer's concentration was broken as the entrance bell ringed, signaling the arrival of a customer.

"Hellooooooooooo! Is anyone in here?" An adorable voice called out. Archer sighed before dispelling his Projected broom and pan and headed towards the counter. He heard the girl ring the service bell, only to give a gasp of delight from it's pleasant chime.

"Don't ring the bell more than once. Weyland won't appreciate being woken up like that." Archer walked out of the workshop to find a young girl in red and black. Her hand hovered over the bell and her expression was that of a child getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "So, how can I help you little Miss?"

"Oh! R-right! My name is Ruby Rose!" Ruby composed herself. "It's nice to meet you…"

"Archer. Archer Steele. My uncle runs the place." Archer couldn't help but smile at her. Looking at her reminded him of Illya a little.

Luckily, his smile seemed to put her at ease. "Oh? Uncle Weyland never mentioned having a nephew. Then again, all we'd talked about were weapons and weapon maintenance and which melee type pairs best with which ranged type and-"

Archer chuckled, deciding to stop her before she rambled for the whole day. "You know Wey- my Uncle?"

"Uh yeah! He was the one who helped me design Crescent Rose! Well, more like I sent a bunch of random prototype designs to him and he sent back one that wouldn't blow up in my face." She admitted sheepishly. "But still, after finishing the design for Crescent Rose, he helped me build it piece by piece! And now, all our hard work is done. And she is a beauty, aren't you?" Ruby took out Crescent Rose in it's sheathed form and began to rub it softly while praising its elegance.

"Your Uncle Qrow wasn't kidding with your love for weapons. So what brings you to-" Archer couldn't help but sigh internally, "Unlimited Iron Works?"

"Oh right! Since I finished putting together Crescent Rose last week, Uncle Qrow told me to come here and get it checked out, y'know, make sure it doesn't blow up in my face." Archer raised an eyebrow. "I'm bad with Dust. It tends to blow up in my face. Just last week I accidentally mixed the wrong amount of Fire and Wind dust in school on my birthday. It was also a demonstration in front of the whole class so I got so nervous and that's when I put too much Fire Dust. Both the professor and I were knocked off our feet. Then when we got up everyone laughed at our faces completely covered in ash and the professor glared at me. I had to deal with being called the 'Birthday Bomber' for the rest of the day. It was horrible." Ruby hung her head low after that admission. Ah Dust, said to be the equalizer for this world when it came to the Grimm Hordes. Archer personally didn't have a need for the stuff since he was sure that Unlimited Blade Works probably had an answer in there, but he could see the appeal for someone who lacks the ability to call forth a flaming sword or a thunderous hammer.

Archer couldn't help but pity the girl in front of her, having such a terrible birthday. He was too late to realize his mistake as he reached over to pat Ruby on the head, just like he would to Illya. Archer stiffened, but upon hearing the sniffles from the younger girl over her social suicide, he decided to continue. "That's fine. At least you're not hurt right? Now then, let's go check this things out and maybe fire a few rounds." Archer said in a gentle voice.

"Yeah. At least Uncle Qrow got me the parts to finish Crescent Rose." Ruby perked up and pulled a mechanical contraption from her waist and put it on the counter, before unfolding it into its scythe form.

"Do you mind if I use my Semblance?" Archer asked the girl. Ruby nodded. "Trace on." With that, green lines popped up on Archers arm, flowing into Crescent Rose. Archer checked to make sure that all the joints and mechanisms were properly structured, including the rifle's components. It was strange. After coming to this world, Archer had a far easier time understanding the structure and composition of guns and had even been able to recreate them. Sure, it was much more exhaustive than regular melee weapons and he still prefered the bow over modern weaponry, but at least he had them memorized. The exception to this were the Huntsmans' shifting weaponry. For some reason, it was far easier for him to create a shotgun if it was part of a sword, like in the case of Harbinger. But in any case, Archer could tell that Crescent Rose was made lovingly and with exceptional care. All of its pieces fit together snuggly and with proper maintenance, Archer was sure the weapon would last a lifetime.

Archer looked up to see Ruby staring at him and Crescent Rose with stars in her eyes. "So cool… And it was just like Uncle Weyland..." She said dreamily. Ruby snapped out of it and blushed in embarrassment once she realized Archer was staring at her. "So? Is she ready?" She asked, trying to take the attention away from her.

"Yes, I can tell you put a lot of love and care into this. Do you want to test it out in the workshop, there's some practice dummies and a firing range over there?" When Ruby nodded, he lead her to the other room. There, he set up three Beowolf dummies in a triangle and the Ursa Dummies at the end of the firing range. "Some pre-made Dust Rounds are over there by the workbench, let me know if you need any adjustments." Normally, Archer would be hesitant to leave a customer alone, but something about her told Archer she wasn't a bad person. Besides, Weyland couldn't sleep all day. So, Archer left the sounds of slicing and gunfire to wake up the slumbering blacksmith. The man was snoring on the couch in his office, until Archer decided to project a handheld gong and hit next to the man's ear.

"AGGGH!" The blacksmith fumbled out of the bed and fell to the floor, with the resulting mini quake knocking over some things on his desk. "What? Who's attack? Oh… It's just you Archer… How long was I out?" Weyland grumbled as he got up.

"About 2 hours. Ruby Rose is downstairs testing Crescent Rose." Archer informed him dutifully. He then began picking up the fallen objects and placing them on his desk. When he went to pick up a picture frame, he noticed the four people inside of it. One of them was a cleaner looking Qrow, but the other two, a boy and a girl, he had no idea of who they were. But the last one, a girl with her face half obscured with a white hood, looked eerily similar to the girl he had just met downstairs.

"I see… Well, better go see if she needs anything special. Actually, do we still have some of those strawberries from two days ago, the ones for those pies you baked?" Archer refocused, then nodded, as he remembered putting the leftover fruits he had gotten in the fridge. "Good, bring them down." Archer raised an eyebrow, but went up to the loft to do as he was told. As he came down with a bowl of the strawberries, he heard laughing coming from the workshop as Weyland's voice was loud enough for him to hear. "And so, after scouring all of Vale for him, I find him sitting in a trash can hitting on an Atlas Specialist Operative!"

Ruby laughed on her stool while Weyland grinned "W-wow, I didn't know Uncle Qrow could be like that. I mean I heard from Dad that he could get ridiculous, but not that ridiculous!"

"Ah, how about a more actiony story then. There was the time where after killing a bunch of Beowolves I rescued my nephew and brought him here!"

"Oh really? Is that how that happened, I remember things quite differently, mainly with me doing the killing and you just standing there watching." Archer interrupted Weyland's story. Weyland merely laughed off his correction while Ruby turned to him, surprised by his sudden appearance. The surprise turned into desire once she saw what he was holding.

"Are those strawberries?" She asked with her mouth watering.

Archer sighed, knowing where this was heading. From what he could remember, Illya would often ask him that in a similar fashion whenever she spotted him with something he made. And so, he answered as he usually did. "Yes, you can have some."

"Yay! Thank you! You're the best Archer! They're my favorite, even more than cookies!" In a flash of rose petals, Ruby had zipped over to his side and began savoring the sweetness of the red fruit. He glanced over to Weyland, wondering how he knew, but was only met by a grin.

"Now then… Archer, you have an appointment to make don't you?" Weyland reminded him.

"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me, I need to head off soon." Archer set the bowl of strawberries to the side, which Ruby continued to take from.

"Actually, could you take Ruby with you? Maybe you can talk about Huntsman stuff together." And yet again, Weyland's tone was more of an order, than a suggestion.

"Eh? Wha? But I'm- what about Crescent Rose?" Ruby spluttered through strawberries.

"I'll watch over it and give it a few tweaks based on what you told me, but still you should go with him. You don't mind, do you Archer?"

Archer merely shrugged. "It's her choice, I'm going to do what I had planned regardless of her participation." He then left to get ready.

"Err, should I go?" Ruby asked Weyland.

"I get the feeling it would be for the best if you go with what he has planned." Weyland said, before turning his attention to Crescent Rose.

* * *

"So… what are we doing?" Ruby asked as she and Archer took a walk downtown.

"Visiting a place." Archer answered casually.

"Okay… So… What's in the box?" Ruby asked pointing to the wrapped up box in his hands.

"A present."

"... Um…" Ruby was stumped on what to talk about next. She wasn't the one who started conversations. It was usually her sister Yang or her friend Mauve that started them. Unless it was a topic about weapons. She could talk about those all day, from the latest rifle designs to the prototypes that the Atlesian Military released to the public. Oh, speaking of weapons. "Say Archer, Weyland mentioned it back over at the shop that you can fight, so are you training to enter Beacon?" Most people his age, like her sister Yang, only knew how to fight if they were a Huntsman in training.

"Oh? No, not at the moment." Archer answered, shocking Ruby.

"Eh? What? But why not? The Beacon exam is coming up soon and if you don't train now, you'll never be able to enter and then you'll never be able to become a Huntsman and that would just be horrible!" Ruby couldn't believe he was wasting his skills. Then again, maybe Weyland could be embellishing his tales.

"I wouldn't exactly be worried about that. My… night job helps cover that part." Archer said cryptically.

"Well… If you say so…" Ruby wasn't convinced that his night job would covered it. After all, Yang was training with her Dad whenever she had free time and she wasn't sure she'd get in, not that Yang would ever show such doubt on the outside. "Oh that's right! Be careful out here during the night! I hear that's when criminal are the most active, although even if you do, that Crimson Archer guy might come in and save you." However, Archer all of a sudden started chuckling. "Eh? What's so funny?" Ruby asked confused.

"Nothing… I'll just keep that in mind." Archer was weird. But still, Ruby thought he was pretty cool. Not to mention he let her have strawberries. That instantly bumped him up on her cool people list. Still lower than her family or her friends Mauve and Coral, but not by much. Well, then again, he felt like one of those people who would listen to her ramble on about weapons and actually talk back to her about them like Uncle Weyland. It was decided. Archer ranked the same as Uncle Weyland. "By the way Ruby," Archer's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "What are your thoughts on the Crimson Bowman? It seems like your Uncle, Qrow that is, doesn't approve of him very much."

"I think… it's because the Crimson Bowman reminds him of my mom. The way she acted that is. It something my mom would have done, saving people without caring about the danger or who she was saving. And the reason why Uncle Qrow hates that is because he couldn't save my mom, who saved everyone, when she needed help. I guess he still blames himself for her death. And that's why he doesn't like what the Crimson Bowman is trying to do." Ruby didn't know why he was telling Archer this, but there was something about the older boy that she feels she can trust on an instinctual level. Ruby prepared for the inevitable pity, but it didn't come.

"Your mother. She must have been an incredible person." Ruby looked to Archer, but his face was unreadable. But what she could tell was that he meant what he said.

"That's right. She was the best Huntress, and the best Mom ever. I mean sure she was always busy saving the world and stuff, but she was there when she could be. Yang always called her a Super Mom. And because of her, I'm determined to become a Huntress. But to answer your question, I think that the Crimson Bowman is doing the right thing. After all, saving people isn't wrong, is it?" Ruby finished, echoing the words her mother said all the time. She noticed Archer almost flinch at those words. "Buuuuuuuuut," Archer raised an eyebrow at her extended word. "He could definitely use someone watching his back. He needs a sidekick, someone to help him fight crime. I can just imagine it now, the Rosey Reaper!" Ruby noticed Archer trying to hold back laughter. "Hey! A girl can dream!"

"Yeah, you're right. In the end, I wasn't wrong..." Archer muttered the last part under his breath, although Ruby didn't understand what he meant. "Anyways, it looks like we've arrived."

Ruby looked at the place to find she was in front of a place called "The End of the Rainbow," an orphanage in Vale. "Eh? What are we doing here?"

All of a sudden, a bunch of children swarmed from the front door. "Archer's here!" "Archer's back!" "Big Sis, Archer's back." "Eh? Who's that?" "Is she Archer's friend?" "I hope she's not a girlfriend. That would break Big Sis' heart."

"That's enough you guys!" A Faunus with brown hair and rabbit ears popped out and scolded the kids crowding the two before shooing them back inside. "Sorry about that Archer. The kids really enjoyed the pies you baked them last time and were excited that you were coming back." The girl was wearing a brown shirt with yellowish orange rims, with a black skirt and black stockings and brown shoes.

Archer smiled in response. "It's fine Velvet. So long as they're happy, I'm happy."

Velvet turned to her. "Oh right, introductions are in order. I'm Velvet Scarlatina, I work part time at the orphanage when I'm not at Beacon."

Ruby could feel herself bubble with excitement. "Hi! I'm Ruby Rose! I'm also a Huntress-in-Training! I'm currently enrolled in Signal, but I hope I can make it to Beacon when I graduate! Also, my sister Yang is training for the entrance exam since she graduates this year!" She can't believe that she got to meet someone from Beacon.

"Does it smell like tuna here?" Archer asked, scrunching his nose.

"W-what? You can smell that?" Velvet asked. There was a crash from a nearby alley that drew their attention. "O-oh, that must of been the black cat that visits here sometimes. A-anyway, I had a tuna sandwich for lunch." Velvet explained.

"Oh? You don't usually have seafood at all."

"Well maybe she wanted to try something new." Ruby remembered the time she had tuna. Her Dad had tried to make her and Yang tuna sandwiches for lunch, but it was really hot that day and so… on second thought Ruby didn't want to remember the rest of that day.

"She's right!" Velvet exclaimed. "In any case, why don't you guys come in? The kids will love to see you again Archer."

"So does Miss Velvet!" A girl, no more than 11 years old, called out from behind the orphanage's front door, her tiger tail swinging back and forth.

"Tora! Get back inside!" Velvet shouted before blushing and turning to Archer. "Sorry about that, they're getting to that age and are imagining things."

"So you're saying you didn't miss me?" Archer smirked.

"W-wha? You're so mean sometimes Archer!" Velvet pouted while playfully punching him in the shoulder. Ruby wasn't sure, but she's pretty sure this is what Yang called flirting.

"Right right, let's get going inside then, I brought cookies for the kids." Ruby's ears perked up at that.

"You have cookies?" Ruby's mouth watered.

She heard Archer sigh while her eyes were focused on the box. "You can take no more than two."

Ruby jumped for joy and hugged the man. "You're the best Archer!" He was definitely above Uncle Weyland.

Archer looked apologetically at Velvet. "You mind me bringing one more child here?" Scratch that, he was still on the same level.

* * *

 **A/N: And this chapter was gonna be longer, but I had to cut it into two, otherwise it'd be super long. So, you guys can luckily expect another chapter tomorrow! Also, I want to thank everyone whose favorited and followed this story, as I only expected to get like 30 follows, and now I'm over 4 times that. Now then, as for the story, here she is! Ruby Rose! and also Velvet at the end! To be honest, I'm not sure how well I captured her, but I will admit I played up her little sister side and Archer's big brother side. Also, fun fact, Ruby's favorite food is strawberries, not cookies. Another fun (but really weird) fact, the strawberries themselves are not fruit, but rather are called 'fleshy receptacles' no joke. It's the actual seeds that are the fruit. The more you know. Also don't expect anything from Mauve or Coral, I just needed some 'friends' for Ruby. So yeah, Velvet works part-time at an orphanage and Archer occasionally brings the kids treats. I'll expand on it next chapter, since this one is getting kinda long.**


	4. Prelude to Red

"So, how are you doing Velvet?" Archer asked, as the two sat outside in the orphanages patio while watched Ruby playing tag in the backyard with the kids.

"Better. I never got to thank you for before." Velvet told him. Ruby always seemed to be just out of reach of whoever was it, but the kids all seemed to be having fun.

"Hmm? About what?" Archer looked over to her, noticing that her head was bowed down.

"About those people… who were… you know..." Velvet pointed to her ears. "They're still kinda sore, but not as much they would have been if you hadn't-"

"Enough Velvet, you needed help, there was nothing more to it. Everyone needs help from time to time." Archer interrupted. _Even if they don't think they're worth it…_ His thoughts drifted to a certain redhead he knew.

"You're right… but still, I'm a Huntress-in-training, a student at Beacon." Velvet told him. "That reminds me, Ruby said you were thinking about applying to Beacon?"

"You heard?" Archer was surprised, they weren't that close to the orphanage when Ruby had asked him about it.

"Well, these are here, so might as well use them." Velvet joked, pointing to her ears again.

"I hope you don't make a habit of eavesdropping." Archer chastised lightly. "But to answer your question. Yes, I am applying to Beacon. Why?"

"Nothing, I was just curious." Velvet answered. Then, she smiled. "But, I will admit I'm glad that you're going to be a Huntsman. The world could use more people like you." She then fidgeted. "Well… as thanks, I could maybe help you train for the exam? I mean, I have taken it before after all, and I'd feel awkward just owing you one."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "That won't be necessary. Trust me when I say I have that covered." He reassured her. "Although, knowing what it would be like beforehand would be great."

"So you want to know what the exam was? Well, you get launched into the Emerald Forest, a stretch of green forest nearby, from Beacon Cliff. And after landing, the first person you see after landing is your partner for the rest of the year."

"That… could lead to some unfavorable matchups." Archer mused.

"Yeah, I was really lucky that Yatsu's a pretty supportive person. He's my partner, Yatsuhashi Dachi. We on CVFY call him Yatsu since his name's so long. Anyways, after meeting up with a partner, you make your way to a specified location and retrieve a relic Professor Ozpin had placed there before. In my case, it was in a cave and we had to retrieve playing cards. Yatsu and I got the Queen of Hearts, alongside Coco Adel and Fox Alistair. There were two of each card and the four with the matching pair became a team." Velvet clarified.

"So I see, the entrance exam is more of a placement exam than anything." Archer observed.

"Yeah, it is, although, you can die out there since the Professors won't help, so… don't." Velvet finished lamely.

"Hmph, what a brutal sink or swim method. Still, from what I hear about the state of the world, it's for the best. If Huntsmen in training don't understand the truth of the situation they're in for, then it's best that they realize it then. After all, out there, it's only going to be you and your teammates. Any form of help will probably come long after you needed it to matter." Archer stated.

"I… didn't realize you could be so cold Archer." It was quite clear Velvet was shocked that those type of words could come out of Archer's mouth.

"I'm just merely stating reality for what it is." Archer said dismissively. "Still, for anyone who stays after realizing that, I have nothing but respect for. Besides, I've seen the result of an idiot who charges in without realizing the truth behind the situation, and it did not end well." Archer's voice hardened as his thoughts again drifted to a certain redhead, this time thinking about all the times he failed to save a purple haired girl dear to him.

There was an awkward silence as Velvet was unsure of where to go after that, but luckily, one of the orphans came to the rescue. "Hey! Archer! Can I see it again?" The little tiger faunus named Tora came running to them. Her hazel eyes were full of anticipation.

"Okay, but only if you promise to be good." Archer ruffled her brown hair much to her protests.

"Stop! You'll mess up my ponytail!" The child squirmed. "Okay! I'll be good!" With a chuckle, Archer withdrew his hand.

"Alright then. Make sure not to swing it too hard." With that, Archer walked inside. When he was sure no one else was watching him, he held out his hand. _"Trace On!"_ In his hands lay a familiar shinai with a tiger strap attached to it. But what made it different from other shinai was the absolute bloodlust pouring out of it. As he brought it back into outside, all the other kids became scared and even Velvet became uneasy at the sight of it. Ruby for her part instinctively reached for the closest thing to defend herself with, in this case a wooden stick. But not the young Tora. If anything, the stars in her eyes grew brighter at the sight.

"Gimme gimme gimme!" She reached her hands out to him, or more specifically, the shinai.

"Fine, just try not to hurt anyone with it." He handed the shinai over, where all of a sudden, it's bloodlust went mute, shocking Ruby.

"Is that normal?" Ruby asked, pointing the now seemingly dormant shinai that was being swung around by the tiger faunus.

"Yes. And so is what's about to happen next. Just so you know, she did the same to Velvet." Archer warned her.

"And now! By the power invested into me by the Tora-Shinai! Ruby Rose! I challenge you to see if you are worthy of my respect!" And with that, Tora charged at her, the bloodlust from the Tora-Shinai coming back with a fervor.

"Ah… she really is like Taiga…" Archer reminisced as Ruby was assaulted by the 11 year old, with only a stick to defend herself.

* * *

Archer couldn't hold back his grin as he and Ruby walked back to Unlimited Iron Works.

"If I had Crescent Rose I would've beaten her." Ruby pouted.

"Of course." Archer chuckled.

"I'm serious! And first of all, why did you even have that thing! And second of all, where did she learn all of that! Not even I can move like that and my Semblance is super speed!" Ruby complained.

"At least you got pity cookies." Archer pointed to the cookies some of the orphans gave her after her beating.

"... They would taste better if they were victory cookies." Ruby ate one begrudgingly. "Still, it was pretty amazing how you disarmed her in one strike. How'd you do that? Not even Velvet when I asked her saw how you managed to disarm Tora in a flash."

"Do you still think I need to train for Beacon?" Archer asked her teasingly.

"...no." Ruby grumbled.

Archer decided to enjoy the silence as Ruby sulked with her cookies. His thoughts turned to his purpose on Remnant and why he was there as the two walked. _The wish inside my heart?_ Archer mused. _I guess after all that happened, I guess I still want to become a Hero. Or rather, in this world they're called Huntsman. Maybe this time, with someone to stand beside me, no, a team._ When he got back, if he got back, he would need to thank Rin and… _Shirou_ , for setting him straight and reassuring him that his dream was not wrong. Still, Archer couldn't help but feel excited, maybe even a little hopeful at the thought of getting to finally realize the dream that he and Kiritsugu had sought after, the dream of being a Hero of Justice. And this time, there would be _no damning contracts_. His thoughts then drifted to Velvet. _"I'll be waiting there, my whole team too, for when you get into Beacon. I'll show you what it means to be a Huntress in training!"_ She promised him. Well, at least he'd have one friend waiting for him no matter what happened when he got there.

"Hey! Ruby! There you are! I've been waiting for you!" The words "Blonde Bombshell" ran through Archer's mind as he stared at the girl waving over to them in front of Unlimited Iron Works. He felt a sense of familiarity looking at her, but he was sure they had never met.

"Yafmph?" Ruby was eating her last cookie when she spotted her.

"Jeez, Dad and I thought you would've just stayed in here looking at all the weapons or listening to Weyland's crazy stories. Although, I can see why you decided to take your time…" The girl looked Archer up and down with a smile.

Ruby spat out the cookie in her mouth. "What? Yang! No! It's not like that! I just met Archer today!" Ruby blushed while rapidly waving her hands up and down in denial. "Besides, he's more of a cool older brother…"

"Archer is it? The name's Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's big sister." She held out her hand. "And Rubes, aren't I enough as an older sibling?"

"Archer Steele, Weyland's nephew." He grasped hers, only to find his hand becoming crushed instantly.

Yang pulled him in close and whispered in his ear, "Don't even think about touching my sister."

"Yang! I'm serious! We're not like that!" Ruby ran to Archer's side.

Archer calmly smiled at Yang, ignoring the pain in his hand. "You have quite the strong grip."

"That's enough!" Ruby tried to pull off Yang's hand, but to no avail.

"There's a lot more things my hands could crush." Yang said sweetly before letting go of Archer's hand.

"Still, you should listen to your sister. Ruby and I aren't like that." Archer clarified, letting his Aura heal his hand.

"Oh? I guess so. Let's go home Ruby." With that, the blonde heaved her sister onto her right shoulder and started walking towards the docks.

"Wait! My Crescent Rose!" Ruby wailed, only for Yang to hold up her weapon in her left. "Oh! Thanks for helping me Archer! It was nice meeting you and Velvet!" She shouted out to him happily. Then her voice turned serious. "Tell Tora next time I'll win!"

Archer chuckled to himself before waving goodbye and walking back into the shop.

"You have fun?" Weyland asked him from behind the counter as the smith fondly watched the two sisters leave.

"You owe me 10 seconds of hand-crushing pain." Archer told him.

* * *

"..and then the little girl managed to beat me with that wooden stick. I mean, it was clearly possessed, but still, I got beat by an 11-year old!" Ruby complained to the grave in front of her. "At least Archer avenged me. You should have seen it. One moment, she was looking at me like I was her prey, and in the next, Archer had the shinai in his hands. It was so cool from where I was lying. But then Archer betrayed me! He was praising her instead of helping me up!" She smiled however when she thought of how happy he was. "You'd like him Mom. I can tell. He's got a strong sense of justice, just like you. It's just… he feels so sad and lonely, even though he doesn't look like it." Ruby began to draw in the snow. "I can tell that something bad happened to him, even though he tries to hide it. But, that's also what makes him so cool. He's trying to become a Huntsman, even though he's carrying such a weight on himself. I think that Velvet girl noticed it too, and that's why she offered to help train him. I just wish I had the chance to support him." She murmured. Ruby then noticed the position of the moon. "Ah! It's that late already? I should have been home a while ago. I hope Dad and Uncle Qrow aren't mad." Ruby heard a caw come from the forest. "Well, it's time to go. Bye Mom, I miss you." Ruby stood up from the cliffside and began to trek into the forest. Along the way, she could see shadows shifting in the woods. When she got into a clearing, the shadows emerged, revealing themselves to be Beowolves. "I wonder… was Archer telling the truth when he said he was the one to cut down that pack of Beowolves. In any case…" Ruby brought out Crescent Rose with a flourish. "I can't let myself fall behind him." And with that, she charged forward, her determination shining in her eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: And here's the other chapter. From here on out, Fate/Remnant will update on Fridays (hopefully), and if not, Saturday. If you enjoyed the Tora part, or as I like to call her Taiga Lily, then rejoice young reader, she isn't the only Fate-Based OC in this Story. There will be more cameo-like parts from the people of Fate. And for those of you itching for Beacon to just start already, don't worry, once we've dealt with Yellow, we can really get into the story. Well... That's all I wanted to say for now so... I'm out?**


	5. Taiga Dojo: 1st Attempt!

**A/N: So, this is just a little update. I read the reviews and for the most part I am honored by everyone's support. I also looked over the story and edited it a little based on what you guys pointed out. Like how I forgot to specify that the strawberries were in the fridge. Thanks former grocery person (rickyp01) for the heads up by the way. Anyway, as I was saying, I want to thank everyone for- AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHH!**

* * *

"Now! With that guy out of the way! Let's begin! The Tiger Dojo Starts Now!" The sound of a shinai striking the gound was heard. At the point of impact, a bright light shined with blinding radiance. Once the light faded, a brunette in standard kendo attire appeared to be standing in a dojo. Besides her stood a very confused Tora.

"Eh? Where am I?" The tiger faunus looked around in confusion. "Who are you? And why do you look like an older me?" She looked at the woman in confusion, then spotted the Tora-Shinai. "Wah! No way! You can wield it too?" Tora asked, her eyes shining. "Who are you?" She repeated, this time in wonder.

"Well, isn't it obvious? I'm Taiga Fujimura!" The woman exclaimed. "I'm the original owner of the Tora-Shinai after all!"

 **Oh great, the Tiger of Fuyuki...**

"Don't call me that you disembodied Author!" Taiga yelled.

"What? Where did that voice come from?" Tora looked around in amazement.

"Anyways, Tora-chan and I are here on a mission!" Taiga proclaimed.

 **And that would be...?**

Tora continued searching around the dojo to find the source of the voice while Taiga continued to speak. "To get you to make sense! Isn't there a bunch of unexplained stuff that the readers are dying to know!" The Tiger slammed her shinai again, causing a sign to drop down in the back. It read:

 **Tiger Dojo! Interrogation Segement #1**

Taiga then pointed her shinai. "And don't call me Tiger!"

"Eh? So you're not a Tiger like me?" Tora looked at Taiga with tears in her eyes. Being the only tiger faunus she knew, Tora secretly felt very lonely. But when Archer first let her handle the Tora-Shinai, Tora knew that it's previous wielder had the spirit of a Tiger. And so, from the moment she held it, she idolized the woman she inherited the Tora-Shinai from. However, to hear that this women hated being called a Tiger, it only up great sorry in the young Tora as she had lost her parents to anti-Faunus extremists. She felt extreme shame upon her own existence

"Oh my god. That's horrible." Taiga sniffed, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Tora-chan! I am the Tiger of Fuyuki! In fact, you can just call me Fuji-nee!" She hugged the sniffling girl.

"Really? You mean it? You're a Tiger?" The girl asked Taiga. When she nodded, Tora held out a pinky. "Pinky swear! If you break this promise, the Nevermores will peck your eyes out!"

"I pinky swear!" The woman took the girl's finger into her own. "By the way, I don't think the Nevermores would stand a chance against the Tora-Shinai."

"Yeah! With that sword, you're invincible!" Tora shouted, feeling much better. "Now then, what are we supposed to ask Mr. Author?" Tora tilted her head in confusion.

 **Damn, I was hoping you guys forgot.**

"Language! And how dare you try and use a poor girl's tragic backstory to try and sneak away!" Taiga berated the voice. "Now then, Tora-chan, if you'd kindly, read the first question." Taiga handed the girl a piece of paper from her chest.

"Okay! How did Weyland Steele come across Archer in the first place?" Tora read happily.

 **Well you see... Hmm... I'm already showing my hand with this but, spoilers**

"What? How can that be spoilers? Whatever, next question." Taiga grumbled.

"Okay! Why is Weylan-" Tora got cutoff before she could finish

 **Alright, I'm gonna put a pre-emptive ban on all Weyland Questions, as he'll have a role later on...**

"Well that isn't suspicious..." Taiga muttered. "Alright! Tora-chan, skip to the next page!"

"Eh? But there's 1, 2, 3, ... a lot of questions still on here!"

"And almost all of them are about the mysterious blacksmith!" Taiga responded.

"Alright..." Tora flipped the page. "Hmm... Ah! Will any other Heroic Spirits / Servants show up? Eh? What are those?"

 **Err... you shouldn't worry about that Tora. And to answer the question yes. At least two of them (from the Knight classes) will.**

"Huh, I didn't expect you to answer that..." Taiga admitted. "Next Question!"

"Okay!" Tora was getting into her role by now. "Um... Why isn't Fuji-nee in this story?"

"Yeah! Shir- I mean Archer needs someone, like me, to look after him!" Taiga complained.

 **Oh? Aren't you here right now? Besides, if this doesn't satisfy you, channel your will through the Tora-shinai and Tora will carry out your orders**

"He's right! I promise to do whatever you need Fuji-nee!" Tora swore to Taiga, her tail swinging with determination.

"Aww, that's sweet. I knew I could rely on you Tora-chan! Okay then, I need you to look after Archer for me okay?" Taiga instructed her while patting her head. "Now then, next question."

"Yes! I promise! Now then... Um... Who will be on Archer's team when he gets into Beacon?"

 **The better question is what will be Archer's team's name, and if he'll be replacing any of the canon teams...**

"Uhh... You still didn't answer the question... But, could you also answer those please?" Taiga asked sweetly.

 **No**

"EEEEHHH! What a harsh rejection! What kind of man are you? Treating a lady so rudely!" Taiga huffed, swinging the Tora-Shinai around recklessly.

"Wah! Fuji-nee! You might hurt someone like that! You might throw out you back too!" Tora cried out worried.

This stopped Taiga in her tracks. "Eh? Tora-chan, how old do you think I am?"

"Huh? Aren't you like 30?" With that, Taiga dropped to the floor, causing Tora to panic.

"Kids these days are brutal..." She sighed as part of her soul flew out her mouth. "Tora... Just read one more question, then we're done."

"Ah, are you sure Fuji-nee." When all Tora got was a sigh, she decided to go ahead. "Um... who will Archer end up with? Oh I know! It's gotta be Miss Velvet right? I mean she's so kind and pretty, Archer's definitely gonna fall in love with her! It'll be like those fairy tales!"

"EH!" Upon hearing the question, Taiga jumped back into action. "C'mon Author! You've got to answer this question! Besides! I need to make sure that whoever it is doesn't try and take advantage of Shiro- I mean Archer!"

 **Pairings huh? Well, Archer does have Ex-Ero Protag... then again, it tends to activate on one target at a time... then again, there was that Rin and Saber moment, and that Sakura and Rider moment, and all those doujins that combine the four of them... and then there's Taiyang ENTIRE TEAMing, so there is precedent... Can't say. I'll play it both by my own preferences and by ear. Although, we all know that whatever happens, Archer will always love swords.**

"... You suck." Taiga said, feeling utterly dissatisfied with the whole venture. "Welp, that's it for today, I'm leaving." Taiga started heading towards the dojo's door.

"Wait!" Tora called after her. "You'll come back right?"

Taiga smiled at the little Faunus. "Of course! Until then, just remember to use this to judge if girls are worthy to join Archer's harem!" Taiga tossed Tora the Tora-shinai.

Tora smiled back and hugged the shinai. "I promise! Fuji-nee!"

* * *

Tora woke up from her sleep. "Huh? Where am I?" She looked around to find herself in one of the orphanage's bedrooms, with 3 other girls sound asleep. The shattered moon was still high in the sky. "Was that a dream?" She thought back to the strange woman she dreamt about. "The Tiger of Fuyuki... I wanna be like her..." With that thought in mind, she fell back into the depths of dreams, envisioning herself striking down unworthy women who would try and steal Archer away from Miss Velvet.

* * *

 **A/N: Well... That happened... And I don't think that's gonna be the last time either. Then again, I don't think Taiga's gonna try and "interrogate" me again any time soon. Eh, in any case... here's a sneak peek at the next chapter.**

 **Preview: Burning Bright Yellow**

* * *

"Remind me why I'm doing this again?"

"I owe Junior a favor for 'retrieving' your documents

* * *

"I'm Melanie Malachite and this is my sister Miltiades. I suppose you're Archer? Good, we've got work to do"

* * *

 _smirk_

"As much as I enjoy this as a hormonal teenager, could you please get off my lap?"

* * *

"Oh, you're here? I had a feeling you were bad news."

"I'm starting to think we got off on the wrong foot Yang."

* * *

"Ruby?"

"Sis... why are you and Archer..."

* * *

 **A/N: That's all for now, bye!**


	6. Burning Bright Yellow

**A/N: Warning, this chapter does not contain a lap dance.**

* * *

Archer got into his new uniform, a simple black suit with a red tie as he waited to be picked up. He grumbled, before slicking back his red hair into his Counter Guardian fashion. "Remind me why I have to do this again?"

"Aww, don't be like that kid, it's only the weekend nights that you have to go." Weyland laughed as he came up from turning off the forge for the day. "Besides, I do owe Junior a favor for 'retrieving' your documents.

"While there are certainly worse ways to spend the night, there are also better, more productive ways." Archer mused with his eyes closed.

"Yeah, I suppose, but even evil likes to take a break on Friday nights. I bet you could "learn" some stuff that would help you with your nightly escapades." Weyland snorted.

"... That obvious?" Archer's eyes remained closed.

"The only other one who wears such a color of red and could pull all that off is currently stuck at Signal Academy."

"I see. So what will you be doing without me?"

"Making a special order." Archer opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "A sword that can turn into a spear with dust launching capabilities."

"So what, it can shoot out mini dust lances?" When Weyland nodded, Archer couldn't help but chuckle. "You people think of the weirdest combinations." He observed.

"Hey, the person that requested this happens to be someone who might actually be able to kick your ass." Weyland scoffed. "And besides, not everyone can Project the weapon need for whatever situation you know."

"Oh? Is that a hint of jealousy that someone's 'nephew' has a stronger version of someone's Semblance?"

"Hmph, I wouldn't exactly say you have a stronger Semblance than mine." The blacksmith said dismissively.

"Oh? I've yet to see you be able to Project anything." Archer scoffed, although now he was curious if the blacksmith could actually do such a thing.

"Oi. That's enough out of you. Looks like your ride is here." True to Weyland's words, a black limousine pulled up in front of Unlimited Iron Works and a couple of men in a similar attire to Archer stepped out. Accompanying them was a pair of twin dressed in red and white.

"I'm guessing you're the one called Archer?" The one in white asked. She looked him up and down, deciding that she liked what she saw. "I'm Melanie Malachite. This is my sister Miltiades. Come, we've got things to do." Melanie finished her introduction with a beckoning gesture of her hand, signaling Archer to get in the car.

After a particularly uneventful car trip, with Melanie ignoring him and Miltia reading a book, Ninjas of Love judging from the cover, the trio and company had arrived at their destination, a nondescript and old looking building. However, once they stepped inside, it was a completely different story. Everything was soaked in the bright white lights from above as a crowd of people were dancing in the open in the center of four glass pillars, while red petals consistently fell from the ceiling. There was a DJ in the back, wearing what looked to be a bear head, blasting music out of the large speakers next to him. Archer grunted in annoyance, as the music was far too loud for his tastes, though he had to give props to the architect of this place as one could barely hear it from the outside. The two girls dismissed the escorts and then lead Archer to the bar, where the man in charge was barking orders to the various grunts around him. He finished off with a sigh before catching sight of the trio.

"So, are you that Archer kid Weyland was talking about?" The man asked him. "You definitely have got the same face as him."

"Well isn't that a surprise. I am his nephew after all." Archer replied coolly.

"Oh great, you've got a mouth." The man narrowed his eyes. "The name's Junior Xiong, but you can call me Boss while you're working. Now I hope your as good as a cook your Uncle says he is, cause otherwise…" Junior trailed off and looked to the twins, where Miltia was idly sharpening her claws while Melanie sat on a bar stool and gave a very good view of the blades heels attached to her boots.

"I see… did that happen to the previous cook?" Archer asked, unperturbed.

Junior chuckled. "Actually, no tough guy. He just had some bad Neapolitan ice cream. Which is strange cause he usually loves dairy. Must have been a bad batch…" The club boss muttered the last part to himself. "Anyway, you work in the kitchen from 6 - 10 and then from 10 - 2 you come out here and I'll teach you how to be a decent bartender. Got it?" Archer nodded in response. "Then get to work."

* * *

 ** _Three Weeks Later..._**

"Oh Archer~ could you please refill my glass? And afterwards, could you fill up my other glass too? I am _quite thirsty._ "

"Mou~ Archer come over here! I need a shoulder to cry 're the only one I can vent to."

"Heya Archer~ Won't you let me touch your muscles this time? Maybe we can have fun after your shift is over~"

"Ugh, the shameless womanizer! I can hear their disgusting come ones from up here!" Melanie huffed. It was 11, meaning that Archer was on his bartender shift. Of course, the bar being filled with ladies at that point was _totally_ coincidental. "The nerve of him! He comes in here a few weeks ago with no idea how to mix a drink, and now he's juggling a harem of drunken older women while giving them pleasure in liquid form!" She glared down at him from the private balcony where she and her sister and occasionally Junior would retire to for privacy.

"Melanie… you're argument is lacking when you're downing his drinks as well." Miltia noted. Indeed, the twin in white was sipping her third glass of whatever concoction Archer had made for her. All Melanie knew was that if she drank happiness in liquid form, it still wouldn't taste as good as Archer's special "Melanie" mix. Miltia took a sip out of her own "Miltia" mix. The twin in red was never not impressed by how the redhead had managed to make tailor made drinks that sent each twins' tastes buds to the heavens.

"So what if I'm drinking his drinks! You're still eating his food!" Melanie complained. Hypocritically, she angrily took a bite out of the steak Archer had prepared the twins. "Tch… and the stupid bastard doesn't even have the guts to try that on us…"

Miltia raised an eyebrow at the revelation. "Oh? Are you saying that you like Archer?" She teased her sister. It was rare that the red twin had anything worth teasing her sister about, since all the previous guys that had tried to get with her had ended in failure, yet the one that wasn't even interested managed to send her sister for a loop.

"Wh-what? Hell no! I just think it's weird he hasn't tried anything weird with us you know?" Her sister denied vehemently, although the blush on the cheeks were also quite telling. "B-besides, how do I know you're not the one with a crush on him?"

"Oh, I do like him." Miltia answered simply. "He can cook, make a good cocktail, and clean up any mess. He's like the perfect housewife. He also has quite the charming face. Ah, but it cannot be… the poor pauper cook and the Red Princess Enforcer of the Black Bears… the tragic star-crossed lovers could never be together…" Miltia became lost in her own world.

"You read too many books sister…" Melanie sighed. "Anyways, don't you think it's weird that Archer hasn't made any moves on us this and last weekend Junior?" She turned to the club boss.

"Hah! He could be having a threesome with you two and as long as he keeps making us this much money and this good of food and drink, I wouldn't care!" Junior laughed as he took a bite from the chicken Parmesan Archer had prepared for him. "Not to mention he's got a good heart… shame I can't use him for my more profitable adventures…"

"You're useless…" Melanie muttered.

"Maybe, but Archer certainly isn't." Junior said after wiping his mouth to get the sauce out. "Look at him."

"Huh?" That got both the twin's attention.

"Pay attention to his eyes. Notice how occasionally they'll flicker this gray steel color? There!" Junior pointed out. The twins looked and saw that his usually amber eyes had indeed turned a steel gray. "That means that he's reading the lips of a very interesting conversation. Because of he's little trick there, I've reinforced my reputation as this town's Info Broker! Now then, if we follow his sight, we find… shit, not him…" Junior cursed under his breath. The twins followed Archer's gaze to a booth where a certain orange haired individual sat with his tri colored bodyguard.

* * *

"Archer, clear them out!" The bartender heard his Boss' voice and sighed.

"Sorry ladies…" He gave them an apologetic smile. "But it looks like the Boss has some official business to do." The women whined, but got out of the way of the club boss.

Junior and the twins walked up, with Junior motioning for him to keep quiet. "Stay out of the way." Junior warned him as the duo Archer had picked out before walked up to the bar. Archer knew exactly who they were, the infamous crime duo known as Roman Torchwick and his mysterious bodyguard Neopolitan. Archer had some previous encounters with them when working his other night job, but luckily it didn't seem the two recognized him. It probably had to do with the fact that he was often on the other side of Vale when he shot at them. Still, Neo must have been something incredible to dodge all his shots like that. Between her reflexes and illusions, it was no wonder he had so much trouble trying to capture them.

"Well there Junior, it looks like you've got a little lady killer over here!" Roman joked as he walked up, swinging his cane around. A quick peek into it revealed it to be a cross between a rifle and a cane called Melodic Cudgel. It appeared to use explosive flares as ammunition.

"What do you want Roman?" Junior's voice had an edge to it, which Archer had only heard once before, when some drunk tried to lay a hand on the twins.

Roman merely smirked in response. "Why don't we talk somewhere more private. In the meantime, Neo, why don't you show this kid what a real woman is like?" With that, Roman walked off, leaving a wary Junior to follow.

Archer turned his eyes to the small neapolitan colored woman before him. "So… what would you like to drink?"

Neo just smiled at him, completely ignoring the glare she was receiving from Melanie.

"Archer, I need a Cosmo down here." One of the grunts has called out to him.

"One Cosmopolitan, coming up!" Archer was grateful that the drinks and their names were mostly the same in this world.

He turned around to grab the ingredients, namely the Citron, Cointreau, cranberry juice, and lime juice. "H-hey! What are you doing?" He heard Melanie shout.

Archer felt a tap on his shoulder and found Neo standing right behind him holding up two fingers in her hand. "You could have just asked for one too. Or… are you the type who doesn't talk, no matter what." The condescending pat on his head both answered his question and irritated him. Neo then gave him a very good demonstration of her flexibility as she slowly flipped herself over the bar. Archer tried not to focus on the very good view of her butt that she provided. Not that she didn't have a good butt. It fit very nicely in her pants. _I should stop looking._ Archer told himself as he caught Melanie giving him a disgusted look. He looked over to see Neo giving him a smirk before sighing and focusing on mixing the drinks. _Damn… I forgot just how strong these damn hormones are…_ It had been a long while since Archer felt like a teenager. _Actually… when was the last time I got laid?_ Archer could vaguely remember a HGW run where he had actually run out of mana and needed Rin to transfer some.

"Hey! Over here!" He called out to the grunt, handing him the cocktail. "And here's your Cosmo." He placed down the drink in front of her and with a flourish, tossed a lime in the air and held down the glass as the lime fell onto the rim. He made a surprisingly good bartender. "Is there anything else I can get you my little mute seductress?"

Neo smirked and then pulled him by his tie and pulled him close, causing all the women in the club to gasp. Archer couldn't help but internally sigh as he felt an immense amount of killing intent directed towards the small woman, even though she technically hadn't kissed him. In fact, she seemed to be waiting for Archer to react as she locked eyes with him.

"Not that my hormone addeled teenage body doesn't enjoy that, but it's gonna take more than that to fluster me." He told her nonchalantly.

Neo frowned, but then surprisingly let out a giggle. She then let go of Archer and gave him a look that said, _I'm going to have fun messing with you._ Archer could already feel a headache forming in the back of his head. _Why do I always grab the attention of the most troublesome women?_ He wondered to himself.

"Neo! We're done here. I know you'd like to have a little more fun, but don't forget you still have that task that _bitch_ ordered you to do." Roman called out to her as he and Junior came back from their discussion. Neo pouted, but blew Archer a kiss before leaving with Roman.

"Oh? Never knew Torchwick was working for someone." Archer mused. In fact, all the times he had seen him, Roman seemed to be running the show. Still, this provided something to look out for.

"Yeah, whoever she is, she's got Torchwick really worked up." Junior sighed. "What a pain in the ass… Archer, get me something that will knock me out." He leaned against the bar and let his head down.

"Should I get the stuff from the back?" Archer asked amused. With Junior's grunt of approval, Archer headed back behind the bar to get Junior's special juice. "Now then, where are you?" Archer rummaged through the shelves of bottles to find his employer's prefered poison. "Ah! There you are!" Archer pulled out a bottle of the Atlesian Vodka, "Iron Geese". Of course, not all names would be the same in Remnant, although it was a strange that only specific brands were affect. Whatever, Archer had a sip of the stuff when Junior took him out to celebrate his first week and it definitely tasted the same as Grey Goose.

All of a sudden, Archer heard a crash come from the dance floor. "I should go… Junior's probably gonna kill whoever did that." Archer muttered to himself. He then felt a major impact shake the building, followed by sounds of gunfire. "I should _really_ go." With that, Archer ran out to the bar just in time to see Yang beat the shit out of DJ D3adB3ar… Archer never understood the thought behind such naming conventions.

"Melanie, who is this girl?" He saw Miltia walk up with her sister to confront Yang. "I don't know Miltia, but we should teach her a lesson." Yang merely smirk in response before reloading her shotgun gauntlets, Ember Celica a quick glance told him, and charged forward. Archer, for his part, decided to hold back and analyse the fight, just in case Yang or the twins got out of hand and he needed to step in.

Yang launched a volley of shells at the twins while flying towards them, making the twins back flip to avoid them. She continued her assault on the two on the ground, and later focused on Melanie when the two split up to began their counter attack. Yang's attacks were ineffective as the girls either dodged or struck down the projectiles. The two closed in and tried to attack Yang from both sides, but Yang launched a shot at Melanie, forcing her to dodge instead, and jumped over Miltia's swipe. Melanie landed behind Yang and delivered a fierce kick that Yang blocked with Ember Celica, though it did push her back quite a bit. She then launched a powerful shot that Melanie kicked out of the way, knocking over another pillar from the dance floor.

The twins began their assault again when he heard a squeaky yet familiar tone called out to him "A-archer?" Junior walked up to him, holding his balls.

"What happened to you?" Archer asked, pouring a shot of Iron Geese and handing it to Junior, who proceeded to down it in one go. In the background, Yang landed a solid hit on Melanie, allowing her to focus on Miltia.

"Thanks, I needed that. Blondie over there manhandled me. Now I'm not against a little rough play, but trying to crush my family jewels is going to far!" Junior began to storm off as Miltia crushed into yet another of the glass pillars in the club.

"Hold up, where are you going?" Archer asked Junior, causing him to pause as Melanie started to assault Yang with her skilled footwork.

"To get BlackJack and teach this bitch a lesson!" Junior growled as Melanie continued to push Yang back.

"Wait, there's no need, I'll deal with her." Archer offered as Yang elbowed Melanie then twirled her around and finished her off with a vicious roundhouse kick.

"Okay then… Show me what you got… I'll go finish this off." Junior turned over to the bar and grabbed the bottle of Iron Geese. Archer sighed before muttering " _Trace On."_ He twirled Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands as he stepped out to confront Yang.

"Archer, you're here. I knew I had a bad feeling about you." Yang greeted. She then put on a cocky smirk. "I'm gonna enjoy this!"

Archer merely nodded his head, signalling for Melanie to help her sister up and get out of there. "I'm starting to think that you don't like me Yang."

"Well, when you find your precious little sister around with a stranger and then find said stranger in a bar run by the best info broker in Vale and his gang, it doesn't paint a very good picture of you now does it?" Yang reloaded her Ember Celica.

Archer sighed. "I suppose you won't just leave if I ask nicely."

"Nah, I'm having too much fun fighting!" Yang rushed at him while launching a volley of shots at him. Archer decided to rush forward as well, deflecting any shots that went too close to his liking with his blades. The two clashed in the middle, with Yang going on the offensive and Archer parrying or dodging each blow. Even though Archer wasn't in a Servant body, enough of his power had transferred over that Yang seem a little on the slow side, although he was sure that to Junior and the twins resting on the side, he was the one who was moving very fast. And he had yet to reinforce his body.

"Why. Won't. You. STAND! STILL!" With that last yell, Yang slammed her fist into the ground, trying to make a shock wave to trip up Archer. But he saw through that and jumped in the air while tossing Kanshou and Bakuya at Yang. "Hah! Wrong move!" She said as she dodged the two blades.

"Are you sure about that?" Archer asked as he landed gracefully. All of a sudden, Yang felt her instincts scream that something was behind her. She turned around and deflect Kanshou and Bakuya upward from closing in on her back. "Looks like I took a little off your top." Archer smirked. Yang looked down to see that some strands of her hair had fallen from the blades.

Archer all of a sudden felt his own instincts warn him of danger as Yang all of a sudden burst towards him with a scream of rage. Archer also noticed right away that her hair had this almost flame like quality to it and that her usual lilac eyes were burning bright red this time. Moving much faster than before, she landed a nasty right hook on him, launching him into the club walls.

Yang calmed down after she had hit him and rubbed the back of her head. "Maybe I went a little overboard…" Her hair had returned to normal and her eyes went back to their lilac from before

"Actually, that barely gave me a scratch." Archer called out from the crater. Indeed, having faced off against Berserker in one of those hazily remembered timelines from the Holy Grail Wars, few things came close to the goliath's strength. And Yang, though she was immensely strong compared to regular people, did not come close. Still, he would hate to see what would have happened if he hadn't Reinforced himself on time. "In fact, I think I did more damage to your hair." Archer walked out of there holding the Tora-Shinai in one hand and a string of Yang's hair in the other.

"Oh, you really want to die then!" Her Semblance activated again with her extreme anger and she charged towards Archer, her fists ready to knock him dead.

Archer sighed. "And you fell for it." Before Yang could realize what happened, Archer struck her with one swift blow from the Tora-Shinai. She found herself slammed to the ground with her shoulder screaming in pain as Archer pinned her down by her right arm. "If this was a real blade and a real fight, you'd be missing an arm. Honestly, you let your anger blind you too much. If you had been paying attention, you would have seen that I had readied myself to counter your reckless charge." Archer admonished her.

"W-why… you…" She tried to get up but her should roared in protest. "G-get off my arm!"

"No. Not until you calm down. By the way, even if you tried to fight me, I'm fairly certain that I might have torn your muscle over here." He lightly tapped Yang's arm, which hurt much more than it should have.

"So what? It's just a little pain!" Archer sighed, before taking the shinai off her. When he turned around to head back to Junior and the twins, she pounced.

But, Archer was ready for this and grabbed Yang by her other arm and pinned her to the ground. "Are you done yet?" He asked as he kept her left arm pinned above her head.

"Y-yeah… I think I'm all out." She said as her hair and eyes turned back to normal.

"Yang… Archer… why are you two…?" Ruby's voice was heard from the entrance of the club. Archer and Yang looked up to see Ruby twiddling her fingers and blushing as the two realized what their position looked like. Archer calmly got off of Yang who in turn quickly got up, wincing as she jostled her arm too much.

"I-it's not like that." Archer coughed into his hand as he straightened himself out.

"Y-yeah Rubes… We were just fighting." Yang rubbed the back of her head. She scowled at Archer when she found a few stray strands cut off. He merely smirked in reply and suddenly she found herself desiring to punch him even with her arm hurt.

"O-oh yeah… L-like Uncle Qrow does with that Atlas Specialist… D-don't worry, I won't tell Dad." Ruby was still a blushing mess.

"This is gonna be a mess to explain…" Yang sighed as Ruby clearly was drawing her own inaccurate conclusions.

"Yeah, and this is gonna be a mess to clean up." Archer groaned, surveying the mess and making a mental checklist of what needed to be fixed. "Oh, and don't think you'll be getting out of this without paying for it." He warned Yang.

"Ehehehe… How about I give you five minutes with these?" Yang tried to seduce him with her boobs. However the look on his face told her that unlike Junior, that type of trick wouldn't work on him.

* * *

"This is bullshit…" Yang grumbled as she came to the bar with a tray full of orders in her hand.

"Then next time don't tear up the bar." Archer chided her. "Besides, you have to smile for the customer. Just try not to break them too much if they try and cop a feel."

"Fine… Still, I look pretty damn good in this don't I?" Yang was wearing an orange qípáo that fit her quite snuggly.

"Well, I'm sure all these desperate old men agree." Archer joked with her as he finished off the last of the drinks and placed it on her tray.

"So long as they don't touch my hair…" Yang ran a hand through her luxurious mane.

As she left, Archer looked at his Scroll. On it was the picture Yang showed Junior. When Junior had asked Archer if he had known anything about it, the only thing he recognized was that the woman looked like a black and red version of Yang. But now, looking at it more closely, he remembered seeing that exact combination somewhere else. Now, three questions were going through his mind as he took the next order. _Who is this woman and why does Weyland have a picture of her and what does she have to do with the Ruby look alike?_

* * *

 **A/N: And there's chapter 5. I don't know if the fight scene was as good as the ones in the show, but it's kinda hard to project such stuff across a written medium. One thing I want to clarify about Archer is that he is in a human Body with his Soul and Magecraft reformatted into Aura and Semblance, while his Mind is still the same. So while he won't have the same stats as his Servant self, he has a much easier time using and pulling off his cool tricks, which with a Servant like Archer, doesn't effect him greatly as his main strength lied in his versatile armory. If you're wondering about his characterization, well I like to think the he, like Shirou, has a natural charisma that draws people to him, and that he, unlike Shirou, recognizes it and knows how to use it. Now then, as for Melanie and Miltia, I just took the slightest hint of character, in this case their response to Junior's dismissal of them in the Yellow trailer, and extrapolated it. Junior, I get the feeling as long as you produce results, is a pretty good boss. Neo likes teasing people, and Roman is a self-centered criminal, so they're fine i think. Yang I did okay with as well I think. Now then, on to the chapter preview!**

 **Chapter 6: The Pursuit of Justice**

* * *

 _"How did you know I was there?"_

 _"I can smell the fish from here."_

* * *

 _"They're... not the people I know anymore."_

 _"Are you talking about the White Fang or yourself?"_

* * *

 _"Happy Birthday Archer!"_

 _"It's my... birthday?" When was the last time I celebrated my birhtday?_

* * *

 _"Who are you Weyland Steele?"_


	7. Author's Note

So, after getting insulted, it has come to my intention that some people probably think I'm writing out of my ass here. Well, I'm not, I've outlined (outline, not written, which is why it takes me like a week to actually get the chapter done) this story up to Volume 4, so I've got a lot of stuff to write. Oh, and if any of the people who bothered insulting me read the Taiga Dojo, then they would have realized that Weyland is probably a character I DON'T want to talk about largely because he wasn't in the show and he's important in this story. How so? Well, he has a picture of Team STRQ and he's from around that time, so... Also, just in case you don't know this, in the Nasuverse (Fate/Stay Night), there's this thing called the Second Magic, also known as the Kaleidoscope, which enable traveling from parallel worlds and a whole bunch of other stuff such as gathering energy from said parallel worlds, but that second part isn't important. But... At this point I'd rather those people who just insult me over this drop the story, so yeah... Hopefully they have. Anyways, can you think of a reason why Weyland isn't reacting to the revelation of parallel worlds? By the way, one of my favorite things to do as a child was try and figure out the story in a way that makes sense. It's a fun little thing to do. So occasionally, I would figure out a plot twist before it would be explained due to the foreshadowing. And let me tell you this, my foreshadowing is as subtle as a sledgehammer. So really, that's all.

Oh, and to all who think I'm quitting this story, I'm not. There will be more next Friday, I assure you.


End file.
